Too tired to go home
by Trinxy
Summary: If the couch in the break room could tell a stories - it could write a book. A snippets of our favourite pair. In the break room. Catching their sleep. Oneshots. Complete
1. Season 2

**The idea came to me when I was listening some old interviews of BTS Castle. The image stuck with me until I wrote it down. I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own a Castle nor The Castle**

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_January 2010... some cold day in the midst of winter._

When Castle arrives on the homicide floor of the 12th precinct, it's empty. As far as his eyes can see there is nobody in the room, not even in the glass-paneled offices. He steps into the abandoned room and checks the time on his iPhone. _Wow_, it's still early - only 7 am. He can't remember right away why he came to the precinct so early. He hums softly, thinking out loud. '_Oh yeah_,' he wanted to share some new ideas about the case with her.

Slowly, he makes his way in front of the murder board. Sitting down at Beckett's desk, he starts thinking about the case. He is tracing the connections with his fingers and muttering under his breath, going slowly over every little detail he can find on the board. Since the day before, he has been thinking about this case almost nonstop. Now he just needs to see if his, yet again crazy, theory would make sense in light of new details. It takes him almost ten minutes to recap all the info and he starts to notice his surroundings again.

The precinct still seems empty. There are usually more people in the room when he comes in. But then again, he hasn't really been in the precinct that early in the morning. He cranes his neck, looking over the entire room - it's deserted. And it feels really weird to be alone in here. He stands up from the desk in order to walk and sneak around. He stops abruptly, when he realises that some of the papers from her desk decided to attach themselves to his bottom. He catches them with his hand and puts them on Beckett's desk again. Her desktop is messy, he notices. As if time had stopped from yesterday and she had left without cleaning up a bit. There are files everywhere, pictures of crime scene with every gory detail spread across the top. Some of the ME reports seem to be there too, as well as the older case files, connected to the new murder.

'_Hmmm.'_ he wonders out loud. It is un-Beckett-like to leave her things like this. He looks over in every direction to ask somebody about the files, but no souls are in sight, still. Shaking his head he straightens himself and makes his way to the break room in order to make himself a cup of coffee and sit down for a little while until Beckett or other detectives show up.

He arrives in the break room and heads to the espresso machine that he managed to deliver there the year before. He smiles when he sees the shiny machine. It makes damn good coffee. He walks to the cupboard at the opposite wall and opens the doors. He takes a clean cup inside and it emanates a soft clinking sound when it collides with other cups. At that moment he hears a sudden in-take of breath, just like somebody is in the room. His heart picks up speed and he turns around fast.

He opens his mouth to make a comment, but he sees something that changes his mind. The inhale came from the woman who is currently sleeping on the couch. She has propped up her legs and surrounded them with a little blanket. Her head rests on the back of the couch, her whole body tilted to the right. Her eyes are closed and her hands are loosely holding a case folder which starts slipping away from her grasp. Her mouth is open a little bit, her chest rising and falling with the sleepy rhythm of her breathing. There is a slight blush on her cheeks, coming from the sleep and warmth from the blanket - that threatens to fall down from her shoulders.

He freezes for a moment. Not knowing what to do. He has never seen her spend the night in the precinct, let alone seeing her sleep. Making up his mind, he takes a few steps to the coffee maker and places his cup there, his eyes never leaving the sleeping form. Quietly, he makes his way in the direction of the couch, not wanting to wake her. He stops and stands there, just looking at her. She looks so adorable when she is sleeping. So peaceful, so relaxed. _'Does she sleep here a lot?' _he wonders in his mind.

The blanket, or scarf to be exact, falls off her shoulder with a soft whisper. He steps closer and rearranges the soft fabric, tucking her in. The case folder falls onto the couch with a small thump and he freezes again, fearing the noise would wake her. But instead of waking, she moves herself in her sleep and mumbles sweetly, a smile on her face _"...Cas... mmm... Castle..."_ and she falls silent again, her breathing evening out.

He just stands there, mouth open in surprise. He doesn't know what to do. That is the last thing he hoped to hear from her. The woman seems to dislike him mostly. And now... she... is dreaming about him? The glow of a smile appears on his face and he straightens himself. He observes her for a little while with a smug grin on his face, standing next to the couch. He is openly admiring his partner sleeping, taking in the soft glow of her dreams and her relaxed state.

"_Admiring the view?"_ suddenly a soft whisper from behind him jerks him from his dreamy state. He jumps a little and propels himself around to see where the voice came from. Kevin Ryan is standing at the doorway, looking at both of them. Castle breathes in a few times, forcing his heart into a slower pace.

"_You scared the crap out of me!"_ he whispers back with force. Ryan just smirks at him, coming in to the break room.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asks, low voiced.

Castle shuffles closer to the detective and answers "I couldn't sleep. I thought it was a good idea to come in early." He throws a glance to the empty homicide floor. "But apparently not." he adds.

Ryan nods and smirks. "Yeah, it's not usually very busy here in the early hours." he agrees.

There is a silence between them for a moment. Castle steps closer to the table that Ryan is standing next to. He points to the sleeping Beckett and asks the detective. "Does this happen a lot?"

Ryan nods and shares "Well, from time to time. She makes a habit of using the break room couch as a bed when she is working on difficult cases... But she hasn't done it in a long time."

"Hmm..." Castle makes an agreeing sound. "Should we wake her?"

"Naah, let her sleep," he explains quietly. "She probably hasn't slept much, so let her be until she wakes up herself."

Castle nods. Ryan turns himself around and heads out from the break room. Castle stands there, torn between following the male detective and staying in the breakroom. Finally he decides to follow Ryan and he makes his way out of the room as silently as he can.

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He sneaks back into the room quarter of an hour later. He remembered that he forgot to make coffee like he had planned to do before. He tiptoes inside the room heading for the coffee machine, glancing at the sleeping woman a few times. She is still soundly sleeping. He smiles while he pushes the buttons of the espresso maker and places the coffee cup in its place. The machine starts to make horribly loud noises, piercing the silence of the break room. He is horrified and starts immediately pushing random buttons on the machine to stop the loud noises. _"Damn, damn, damn..."_ he hisses out loud. When the machine finally stops, having filled the cup with coffee, he turns himself around slowly, checking if she has woken up.

Beckett has her eyes open and she is blinking them hard as if trying to understand where she is. She slowly becomes more awake and her eyes travel around the room. Finally she notices him standing by the coffee machine, apologetic look on his face.

_"Castle?"_ she asks her voice hoarse from sleep, blush starting to rise on her cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

He takes the coffee cup from the tray and raises it up, breathing in a quick gasp and asks "Coffee?"

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**A/N: Thank you my dear friends lv2bnsb1 and tshlw from twitter for editing this fic. You rock! And fooxoo for being an awesome support as always! *hugs***

**Tell me please what you think of this wee story?**


	2. Season 3

_Spring 2011… a morning in the precinct. _

It's really warm. And cozy. These are the first things that come into Beckett's mind when she starts to slowly wake. It feels awkward tho. Something feels off. Wrong. The sense of warmth surrounding her comes into her mind again. She yawns and slowly stretches herself, waiting the feeling of enveloping warmth to go away, as it always does. But it doesn't go away. The warmth stays there. Surrounding her like a cloud of love. She smiles. It feels really good. She hasn't felt that way in a long time. Without thinking further, she snuggles herself even more comfortably and starts to drift off again.

But she hears something that doesn't make any sense. Low hum of the coffee machine. Since when she has a coffee machine in her room? In her sleep riddled state she furrows her brows, thinking hard. The sound is mixed with slow breathing that comes from close by. Breathing? Something is really off. Josh is supposed to be in Haiti. There's nobody at home but her. Where's the breathing coming?

When she hears Esposito's "Yo!" echoing through the precinct floor, the realization hits her. This isn't her home. Or her bedroom. It isn't a nice lonely night underneath the warm blanket. She isn't comfortable. She's at the precinct.

Her eyes snap open. Not really understanding where she's at, she tries to yank herself up. But she can't. There's a warm and heavy hand around her chest, holding her in place. She falls back with a soft thump. Her head lands in someone's warm lap.

She closes her eyes in frustration. Takes in a breath. Trying to remember what is happening. Everything starts flooding back to her now. The case. Pellegrini's case. It's still up on the murder board. And they still don't have any idea who might have killed him. But why are they in the break room? Why are they lying in the couch? In warm embrace of each other. For a second, she smiles. It is warm. And it feels nice. And it's Castle.

_Castle! _She realizes. She does that too late. She is lying on the couch. Her head is in the lap of Richard Castle. And his warm arms are surrounding her. Keeping her in place. Safe. Oh god. She is sleeping with Richard Castle. _Not sleeping together... Just. Falling asleep_, she reminds to herself. Oh god. Oh god, what to do.

_Get yourself together! _She tells to herself. She needs to get the act together. No matter how much she likes him surrounding her, she can't. It's Castle. He is the crazy playboy, with an eye for blondes. And... well. She is already with somebody. She can't, no... She can't.

She starts to move away from him, trying to get his hand off from her. She laces her fingers around his wrist and lifts his hand. This draws out a frown from his sleepy state. He forcefully brings his hand around her again and pulls her closer to him.

"Don't wake up yet, Kate. Stay with me," he mumbles through his sleep. She sighs and rests her head back to his lap. She looks at his silent form for a few moments. He looks so peaceful. But. She has to wake him up. There is no way SleepyCastle could release her.

"Castle!" she whispers sharply. He wrinkles his nose through the haze of his sleep.

"Castle! Wake up!" she tries again, now shaking his arm too.

Finally, the guy opens an eye. His sight is foggy and she can see that he doesn't realize where he is. Or. Where _they _are. He closes them promptly again.

"Castle, you have to let me go." Kate tries to lift away his arm again.

"Why?" he asks sleepily, not even bothering to open his eyes.

She huffs out a frustrated breath. "Because I say so," she answers back and nudges his arm again. "Castle, let me go."

"No," he says again and snuggles her closer again. She realizes that he's still not awake. Dreaming. Is he dreaming about _them?_

"Castle! Wake up!" she yells out a little more loudly. This gets his attention. He opens his eyes fully now. It takes time for whole full seconds to him to realize where they are. He looks at her down in his lap. And then his gaze wanders to their joined hands. He realizes, she wants him to let her go. Startled, he lifts his hand away fast.

"I am sorry," he offers an apology fast. She doesn't waste any time getting up. With no time, they are both up from the couch and staring at each other. There is some awkward energy flowing between them now. They just stand there, in silence. Beckett is avoiding Castle's eyes. And there is a blush on her cheeks. He doesn't understand yet what happened. But something happened - to make Beckett flushed.

"What happened?" he asks from her. She is picking up the folders from the ground. They must have fallen down while they were at the couch, asleep.

"We fell asleep," comes the short answer from her. She doesn't even look up at him.

"We were here all night?" he asks again, surprised. He can't stifle the yawn coming and he opens his mouth to let it loose.

"It seems so." She picks up the last paper from the ground and places it to the folder. She stands up and looks at him.

"You slept well?" he asks, smirk on his face.

That brings a small smile to her lips, blush keeps getting more intense. "I think so. For sleeping at couch, it was enough." And with that, she steps past him, towards the door.

He smiles at his answer and can't stop himself commenting "I have known to be a good pillow."

He doesn't get an answer back. Instead she opens the door and starts walking to her desk. When he steps out of the break room too, he notices Ryan and Esposito sitting behind their desks. They glance at both of them and they can't suppress a bubbling laughter.

Beckett throws them a warning glance, but that doesn't stop them from laughing.

"What's up?" Castle asks from the boys, trying to look innocent as a schoolboy.

Esposito looks at him as if trying to say _'Really?' _

"I don't know, you tell me?" Esposito answers back to him. "We weren't the ones snuggled up cozily at each other's arms."

That brings out another breath of laughter from Ryan. Oh, they are having a field day. Before Castle can say anything back he hears Beckett.

"Shut it, Esposito," she says without looking up to the boys and Castle. "Or you'll be doing paperwork rest of the day."

Both of the boys frown in unison and Esposito huffs something that sounds like _'partypooper_'.

Castle just sits down to his chair. He watches her and is surprised how professional she looks. Just few minutes ago, she was snuggled up his arms and face flushed. And now, no signs of that Kate. Only Beckett. He sighs. Oh well. Maybe someday again.

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**Thank you fooxoo and Meri Philips – for editing and giving me some great ideas. **

**Like it, Hate it? Let me know please! **


	3. Season 4

**Hey there. Sorry it has taken so long to update this fic. Believe me, my life has been crazy as hell. Last month went by so fast, because I made a trip to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Going there from Estonia – oh man, what a long trip. And, Yes, I got to see Castle filming one day (It was thanksgiving week there, unfortunately couldn't see more). Annyways, I am rambling.**

**I hope you like this next installment and I hope you leave a review. I think there is few more chapters for this in the future (at least I hope so myself).**

**Shena, thanks for being my awesome beta! *hugs***

**... ... ... ... **

_*Between the case of Blue Butterfly and crazy adventure of Pandora.*_

He feels a slight warm breeze on his neck.

Then it's gone again.

And there is it again.

Just … like somebody is breathing on his neck. His eyes fly open. For a moment there, he is confused. The surrounding walls are painted brown. It doesn't feel familiar in there. This is definitely not his apartment. Where is he? Why is he sleeping while sitting? He groans, wiggling his back. And there is the breathing again.

Who the hell is breathing on his neck?

He blinks hard a few times in a row, trying to wipe away the sleep. He brings up his left hand and rubs his eyes. When he wants to do the same with his right arm, he realizes he can't move his right arm. Why not?

He turns his head to look over his right shoulder and discovers a woman lying next to him.

The lithe form of Katherine Beckett is snuggled up on the couch with him, her head leaning on his shoulder and her arms cradling his right hand protectively. For a moment, he freezes.

It's not every day that Beckett willingly snuggles with him. Especially in the Precinct.

_In the Precinct?!_

He tenses, instantly understanding how this scene might look to the others. His heart starts to race, mind starts to reel in full speed. _What if there are people in here and they see us together like this?_ The fear of Beckett's wraith is more intense than anything else in his mind right now. He lifts his head higher, looking around, frantically trying to see if there are people around. As far as his eyes can see, there is not a soul in the bullpen. He sighs, relaxes his body and leans back against the couch. _Oh man, that was close. It could have been much, much worse._

He tries to get his racing heart under control. He doesn't need her to wake up and see him freaking out about nothing.

As he relaxes again by her side, his gaze stops on her. He cranes his neck to see more of her. She looks so peaceful while sleeping. Her features are relaxed and her mouth slightly open, letting her breath play with the short hair on his neck. He smiles. This, right here, is a rare sight. He doesn't see her in a relaxed state very often.

She never lets him to see her softer, more vulnerable side. She always seems to be hiding from him, protecting her heart, never truly letting him in. He knows that it's important to her, not to seem weak to the outside world. But he still yearns to see her softer side. He knows it's there somewhere and over the years, he has gotten glimpses of it every now and then. But he wants to know her fully. Their relationship has grown since her shooting. Without many words, they made peace between them, silently growing together each and every day. He sighs softly, wondering if - by now - she feels the closeness of their relationship too. They have been getting more and more comfortable with each other these past months.

He smiles when he remembers her reaction to his touch when he visited her apartment a few weeks ago. He knows he affected her more than she would have guessed and made her yearn for more. He can see it in her, but he knows that she will never vocalize these kinds of wishes. Well, not yet at least.

He feels more relaxed already in their embrace. He snuggles a little bit closer to her, trying to find a more comfortable position.

He pointedly decides not to wake her. These last cases have been long and exhausting. She needs her sleep, even if it's in an uncomfortable position on the break room couch. He places his free hand on her soft and warm fingers and enjoys the feel of them, her breathing on his neck and warmth by his side.

After few short minutes he feels her jerk against him. Her breathing changes quickly from relaxed to frantic. He realizes - she must be having a nightmare. He hears her whimpering softly as she tightens her hold on his arm.

Should he wake her or let her calm down on her own? He is in between two choices when she lets loose another whimper what sounds like his name. He cannot stand to see her like this; he has to wake her up.

"Beckett," he calls softly, hoping that it is enough to wake her. She doesn't respond to him, her erratic breathing continues getting worse.

He places his hand on her shoulder and shakes her gently. "Kate."

Nothing.

When she whimpers again, he shakes her with more force. "Kate, wake up, please. Darling, wake up!"

With his last words, her body jerks again and her eyes fly open. She draws in a shuddering breath and holds onto him stronger.

She looks like an injured bird, panic in her eyes, her breathing coming in ragged breaths. He feels the need to pull her to his chest and lull her back to sleep again, protect her from all evil. With an instinct, he places his hand on her cheek and rubs it soothingly, trying to calm her down. "Shhh, Beckett, it's alright," he whispers softly, trying not to spook her. "Breathe."

She seems to listen to him. She closes her eyes to gather herself together. Her breath continues to come in erratic puffs, but he notices the signs of her calming down already. Each breath seems longer and deeper, the fear in her eyes seems to be fading.

"That's it. Deep breaths," he lays his hand on her cheek, covering it fully, letting his thumb to play on her soft skin, drawing small circles.

"_Cas... Castle..._" she breathes out, "He... he... tried … oh no...," her words fail her. She is still confused, still wrapped in her dream. He pulls her closer into his embrace and puts his arms around her. He soothingly runs fingers through her messy curls.

"It's alright, Kate, it was only a dream," he tries to calm her. He feels her sigh against his shoulder and she shudders as she tries to fight away the images her mind created in her dream.

They stay like this for few minutes - he runs his fingers through her hair and softly rocks her in his embrace. She tries to get control over her breathing and calm down in his secure embrace. It does take a while before she realizes the position she is in. Her mind is still racing from the dream but she starts to notice him - the strong arms encircling her, his fingers playing in her hair, his soothing hand on her back, the sweet meaningless words he is whispering into her hair in order to calm her.

She knows it's wrong - their embrace is too much right now. But she can't fight him, his soothing voice is all she needs right now. She relaxes into his hug and sighs as her breathing begins to calm down.

"Are you alright?" he dares to ask after a few minutes pass by.

She nods against his shoulder and lifts her head up, disengaging herself from their embrace. He looks down at her and their eyes meet.

And then, he can't tear his eyes away from her. Her eyes are shining - the fear is gone now. Only trust. The red rims of her eyes shows to him how close she was to crying. The hazel of her irises is too hypnotic, he is drowning in them. He can't look away.

She looks back to him with the same intensity. His blue eyes are hiding the concern and worry in them but mainly she sees silent awe in them. He is looking at her like she is a precious, fragile thing. In other cases, she wouldn't like it. She is not a fragile thing. But the depth of his eyes is trapping her, entrancing her, showing her that there is something deeper running through him than just awe. She sees love in his eyes, the love she has denied for her so long, love that she knows is there. She can't look away, she can't make herself to turn her head and run, as she has always done.

Instead, she leans in, closing the short distance between their lips.

She feels his gasp against her lips. He clearly wasn't expecting her to kiss him like this. But then, he gets over his initial surprise and his lips start to move against her skin, her soft lips. Her mind goes blissfully fuzzy. The new exposed connection of them sparkles her blood and it feels like electricity - igniting every part of her. His lips are so soft against her when they move in unison, just like reading each other's mind. He opens his mouth to deepen their kiss. He nudges her lips gently with his tongue and she opens her mouth to him...

_*CARPOOWH*_

The sound of a loud crash comes from the bullpen, followed by cursing.

"_Seriously, Javi?" _Ryan's voice rings as a wakeup call in the empty precinct.

She immediately pulls away from him, her breath coming in short gasps again. This time, there is no panic in her. Just a lack of air in her lungs.

"Shit," he mumbles and lets her go. They untangle themselves in hurry, just in time as the footsteps are closing in to the break room. The sounds of conversation between two detectives becomes louder and louder.

She is on her feet before Esposito and Ryan can open the door. She has managed to collect herself, her breathing forcefully normalized. Only thing that reminds him to their passionate kiss is the rosy blush on her cheeks. Her adorable, flushed cheeks.

The door flies open. Esposito and Ryan, both of them obviously are thinking that the break room was empty, walk in, deep in conversation.

"It wasn't his fault you know," says Ryan to his partner while heading for the espresso machine, obviously talking about the conversation they have in hand.

"I know," Esposito sighs, "It doesn't stop me to want to punch him in the face..." he follows his partner.

Ryan pushes the buttons on the coffee maker and turns himself around slowly. "Hey, believe me I feel the..." he trails off when he sees Beckett standing next to the couch and Castle sitting down, both seemingly flustered and out of breath. "...same," he finishes off with a questioning look forming on his face.

"What?" Esposito asks when he sees Ryan's quizzical face and traces his gaze to the pair on the couch. "Ooohhh..."

"Hello?" Ryan's face is smiling now. His mind runs fast and he knows what they have been doing on the couch... and from the look of Esposito's shit-eating grin, he knows too.

"What are you two doing here?" Ryan asks from them.

Castle is first to get a word out. "We fell asleep here."

"Riiiight..." Esposito nods. He is not buying it. "You have been here all night?"

"Yes, Espo, all night," Kate answers before Castle can open his mouth. She tries to shrug the mocking glances of the boys off and she crouches down to collect the files and folders that are scattered around the floor. She must have dropped the case files sometimes during the night.

"Is that so?" Espo continues. He cannot stop himself from teasing, "Was the sleeping all you were doing... or did you and Mr. Smoochyface do something else as well?"

He earns an admonishing glance from Castle.

"Espo," Beckett warns her partner in a serious tone, joined by her deadly glare. "Honestly?"

"What? You two look very comfy in here," he defends himself.

"Just get your coffee," she huffs at both Ryan and Espo, and turns her attention to the files that are lying around.

Esposito averts his gaze from Beckett to Castle, trying to bully some more information out of him only with the look in his eyes. Castle tries to defend himself in front of the guys. "Hey now," he raises both of his arms. "I just fell asleep here, you know how the cases can be."

"Uh-huh," Ryan comments, stirring his coffee with a stick and smiling in amusement.

Kate finishes up collecting her files from the floor and stands up, trying to find the shoes she had taken off the night before. Finding them tucked under the couch, she pulls them out and steps into them. She walks to the table and placing the folders there, trying so hard to ignore the mocking glances of her detective partners.

Finally the boys give up. Ryan puts a hand on Esposito's shoulder and lets him know, "Espo, leave them alone. Let's finish the background search." Espo nods, his face getting serious again and they walk out from the break room together.

As soon as the boys leave the room, Castle gets up from the brown sofa and walks over to the table where she is standing. She is looking over the file, trying to see if everything is in order.

He coughs as he gets closer, to draw her attention for one. It works. She raises her eyes and looks up at him, her eyes unreadable. The hazel that was so clear and loving just mere minutes ago has gone hazy again. She is building the fortress around her heart again.

"Kate," he says, trying to break the tension between them. He wasn't imagining things before, was he? They did kiss? What happens next is big unknown to him... He has been a goner for a long time, entranced by her, loving her deeply. But she has not... Does she even feel that way? Does she feel the energy between them? Does she feel the need to pull him into her embrace every time she sees him? He doesn't know. Oh, he doesn't know.

Whatever she decides will be the breaking point of the fragile relationship they have. He knows it. This was their hurdle they needed to cross. Will it break them or will it draw them together?

"Castle," she sighs, closing her eyes for a moment, disrupting the energy between them. He fears the worst. But the next words of hers calm him down.

"I know... but... not now. Not here."

He sighs. He can do that. He can wait a little bit longer.

Suddenly he feels fingers touching his arm. He looks down and sees her hand resting on top of his palm. She looks up to him again, seriousness in her eyes, trying to make him understand. "We will talk about it, don't you worry."

**... ... ... ... **

_**Let me know what you think, pretty please?**_


	4. Season 5

**A/N: Sorry for the long pause. I had a wild case of writer's block. Or as AWM says, "Writer's misery". True that, it sucked. But I hope you like this one. Let me know how it rolls, darlings. I really appreciate every word you write back to me. I really really do.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Still. **

* * *

_In the middle of the New York winter 2013, before the hell breaks loose in her life again. _

* * *

The smell of the coffee hangs in the room. She inhales it slowly, savouring the feel of it. She genuinely loves coffee. It's a necessity for her. Like air, water and food. She needs her coffee like a lifeline, like a fresh breath of air that helps her to function. It's not good - the caffeine addiction is not healthy at all. But she can't help it. She just likes coffee.

Placing down the steaming mug of hot liquid, she sits down on the chair and stretches her legs. _This feels nice. _The rays of morning sun are forcing through the blinds, illuminating the room. She reaches for the coffee again and raises the cup to her mouth. She takes a sip and lets the bitter taste settle on her tongue.

This particular coffee is different. It feels different. She doesn't go down the hall to the vending machine to get a coffee anymore like she used to do few years ago. She is spoiled now, with the espresso machine and the daily doses of vanilla lattes that Castle brings her.

But today, she needed to do that walk down the hall to get that special kind of crappy coffee from the vending machine.

She swallows the mouthful of coffee and nods approvingly. This isn't really _that_ bad. Okay, it lacks the smoothness of the espresso machine coffee, but it's not gross either. She still likes it, after all this time. The taste of it brings back memories.

She closes her eyes and allows the taste and the smell does its work and brings her back to memory lane. She smiles as she remembers a joke Ryan made years back, spilling his coffee into his lap when he was waving his hands expressively. And how she and Espo had laughed so hard about the accident. Then she smiles as another memory swims into her mind - Esposito trying to get a date with an officer. Who was she? … Officer Vergas? She's in the drug division now. A Detective, they say. Esposito had accidentally dropped his coffee cup on his brand new shoes as he was trying to woo her.

She chuckles. Oh, my, those were good times. Then another moment pops up, a newer memory. Castle, sitting in his chair and drinking the vending machine coffee. Probably for the first time. _'Oh my god, this is quite possibly the worst coffee I've ever tasted. It's actually kind of fascinating it tastes like a... mmhm, it tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid. Try some?' _Oh, Castle.

She can't help herself and she lets loose another small giggle. Memories from the past can hurt, but sometimes they can make her light inside and the warmth from them seeps to her bones.

Taking in a breath of air, she lowers the cup in her hand and stares at it. Coffee means so much to her. To them. There is always a cup of coffee somewhere in the story when it comes to Castle. He is the enabler. He brings the coffee, knowing all of her habits. She loves how he knows her. Nobody has taken time for her like he has. Nobody. This is one of the reasons why she is so fully in their relationship. For the first time in her life, she is all in. She has no regrets. When a person knows you better than you do yourself, he is worth the effort.

Suddenly she thinks back to Meredith's words. They are still ringing in her ears. '_But I didn't know enough about him to even write a pamphlet.' _Meredith was right about it though._ He knows her._Through and through. But does she know him as much as she likes? Does she really know her partner?

They had this conversation some weeks ago. About Meredith's words. He had calmed her down and told the truth about his first marriage. Even though, she didn't like what she heard, she loved the fact that he was willing to share. Willing to give back to her, to be able to be as open. She wants to know him. Truly know him. She knows that there are waters running deep in him, but she will get there. He is worth it. He is worth every second of it.

She lets her glance travel around the room. It's still dark, but the glow of the soft sunlight through the blinds is making the room lighter by the second. Her eyes stop at the sleeping form at the couch. Castle is sprawled across it completely, leaving no room for anybody else. His mouth his slightly open and she can hear his low snoring all the way to where she is sitting.

She was just there, in his warm embrace, sleeping on the couch with him. They had a long night behind them and probably longer day ahead. This time, the case they were working was just tiring. The suspect pool was too big, nowhere to latch onto. No details. This was frustrating. Unintentionally, they had stayed at the precinct, ending up catching a nap together in the break room.

She had woken up just as her body landed to the floor. Even though they have been together for months, Castle is still a space-hog. She knows that he likes her body next to his, but sometimes he steals all the bedcovers while sleeping. And uses up all of the free space, leaving nothing for her. He does it unintentionally, only when he is sleeping deeply without nightmares. She thinks it's funny. She never imagined fighting over bedcovers with him while they were sleeping.

She observes his sleeping form for quite some time, the magazine laid out in front of her long forgotten. She just takes him in, enjoys the quiet solitary time before all the craziness begins again. Looking up at her phone, to her surprise, she discovers that it's already 6:15a.m. _Shoot!_ People will arrive to the precinct soon.

She puts her cup down on the table and stands up, slowly making her way to the couch. She squats down next to where his head is lying. Her finger traces the lines on his forehead. He inhales deeply, giving the first indication of him surfacing to the conscious world. She smiles. He looks so adorable when he sleeps - relaxed and blissful, small smile playing on his lips.

Her finger trails down to his cheek. As a response, his head moves towards her finger, asking for more friction. His eyes still closed, he mumbles out something that sounds like "Kate". She continues the gentle exploration of his face, so tentatively, so slowly. Her thumb reaches his mouth. She moves it over to the soft flesh, feeling every crease and crack on the surface of his rosy lips. As a reaction, his mouth opens a bit, as he tries to bite her finger. She chuckles again.

And then, she can't resist the pull of his lips. She leans in closer, her eyes drifting shut as she places her mouth firmly on his. She moves her lips, nudging his to move.

At first, she gets no reaction. But as she hears a sharp intake of air, she feels them waking under her touch and start moving. _Mmmmhh, that is nice. _She really enjoys this slow, lazy 'good-morning' kiss until his hands come up to caress her face and he gently lifts her head higher, creating a space between them. She smiles and opens her eyes to be welcomed with his blue orbs staring back at her.

"Good mornin'," he hums, his voice barely audible.

"Morning," she answers back softly.

"You know, I really love to wake up like this," he mumbles, pulling her face back to his again. Their lips meet and the words are forgotten. The gentle glide of his lips against her is enough for her now. It's almost as good as coffee. She loves this too.

She pulls away after a while.

"I love this too," she murmurs when she opens his eyes. Her face gets serious and she continues "But, you have to get up. Or better yet - go home."

"Home?" he's confused. He looks at her, knitting up his eyebrows.

"We are still at the precinct."

At her words, his eyes widen and he looks around. "What? How..."

"We fell asleep," she helps him to remember...

"Ah," he smiles. "That explains why my back hurts. This couch is no good," he whines, making her laugh.

"Oh, really?" she teases. "I recall you loving this monstrosity just few months ago."

He throws her a glance. "It was different."

"Was it?"

"We were making out, not sleeping," he stresses.

"How's it any different?" she asks when she cannot restrain herself from teasing.

"I was conscious," he throws back a playful smirk on his lips.

"You are awake now too," she points out, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah," he mumbles and pulls her back into his embrace again, ending the argument with a searing kiss. He nudges her mouth open with his lips and their tongues meet in a friendly battle. She sighs into him and runs her fingers through his hair, trying to get closer to him.

When they surface for air, she decides to rest her head on his chest, not letting him get up yet.

"You should go home," she finally says to him, her finger playing with his earlobe.

He shudders. "Why?"

"Change clothes?" she offers. "We are still wearing the same clothes."

"I don't mind," he answers.

"You need to rest," she tries to find more arguments.

"You need it too," he murmurs into her hair.

She sighs. She can't win. She can't make him go home. He's not leaving her. "Fine," she finally says. "Stay here then."

She gets up from his chest and stands up. His eyes follow her every move and he looks up at her quizzically.

"It's the morning," she states like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "We need to get back to the case."

"Right," he mumbles as he rises up to sit properly.

"Coffee?" she asks, walking back to the table and grabbing her mug.

"Sure," he answers and she offers him the cup. He takes it from her hands and raises it to his lips, taking a sip. He grimaces as he swallows. She can't hold back her smile.

"What is that?" he asks, handing back the mug and makes faces. "Did somebody puke into this coffee?"

"It's the precinct coffee, Castle, get used to it," she flashes a quick, teasing smile.

And with that, she walks out from the break room, leaving Castle with that awful cup of coffee.

* * *

**Thoughts? **

**Please review! I like when I get messages from you. Rawr.**


	5. Season 6

_**January 2014 (season 6). Knowing nothing about the coming season, I have just assumed some things - like - they are not living together, yet. And there are rough seas ahead that rock our little ship at least a bit. The chapter not intended to be angsty, only a bit for the story's sake.**_

* * *

Stepping into the break room, she sighs loudly. It has really been one hell of a day. Oh well, who is she lying to? It has been a hell of a week. First, the fight. Then the separation. Then the gruesome murder case. She misses him. She misses him badly.

Kate makes her way to the fridge and opens the creaking door. Oh yes, her food is still there. The same one she had forgotten there few days ago. Hope it still is good to eat. She smiles for a second and puts the little box to the microwave to warm it up.

Mmhh, the smell of the leftovers is just delicious. She's hungry.

When she woke up this morning, to her surprise she had discovered that her fridge was empty. There was nothing in there.

When had she stopped grocery shopping? Didn't she fill her fridge in her apartment at all? She remembers then. She has been practically living at the loft. She spends almost all of her evenings and nights there. She has gotten used to Castle doing all the grocery shopping while she finishes up the cases and paperwork. Apparently she has gotten comfortable with him, living with him.

She doesn't know how to do it alone anymore. Living alone, being alone.

Ever since she had returned to her apartment two days ago, a once warm and safe heaven now felt cold. Her fortress of solitude wasn't as homey as it used to be. It wasn't home anymore. She felt so strange walking barefoot on the hardwood floor, the heavy surface so cold and creaking. It didn't make any sense anymore. It was supposed to be her home. She was supposed to be an independent woman, making her own decisions, but as it turns out, she wasn't that woman anymore. She had grown dependant. She had let him in. All of him.

Now, she is warming up the leftover chinese from two days ago.

It's ridiculous. She has lost all control over what she eats and how much caffeine she inhales. Ever since they had the fight. She shakes her head while thinking about it. The words that were exchanged. They hurt. It still hurts.

She refuses to just leave everything and go back to him. She can't. It's not how it works. It's not how they work. She can do alone. She can do without him. She can do it.

The mantra goes on and on in her head as she tries to muster up the will to move from the comfy chair she is sitting on.

Suddenly a deep exhale from the couch stirs her from the ramblings of her mind.

What was that?

She looks at the ugly couch. (Seriously, why haven't they bought a new one for the Precinct yet?).

She flinches.

He's there. His manly form is slouched all over the couch, covering it all.

What is Castle doing at the Precinct? Let alone sleeping here? That man. Will he ever learn?

She feels her pulse speeding up and she blows out a frustrated sigh.

Slowly, she walks over to the table and drops the folders that she was holding in one hand onto the surface.

They land with a loud bang that reverberates throughout the room.

Castle jerks upwards with confusion. His eyes open in surprise and for a moment, it seems he doesn't know where he is. He looks around with a wild stare, his eyes fuzzy with sleep, a tiny bit of saliva dangles on his chin.

"Kate," he breathes in awe. "You are here."

Of course she is here, where else she would be. After all, it's her workplace.

"Yes, I'm here," she grits through her teeth. She is annoyed, still angry. "The question is, what are you doing here?"

That stings a bit, she knows. But there's no take backs anymore.

Castle shifts on his seat a bit and searches for words.

"I came looking for you," he answers, his voice soft and low.

"Looking for me? I told you I didn't wanna talk with you," she reminds him of her words from two nights ago.

"But I want to talk with you," he doesn't raise his voice at all and before Kate can even say anything he continues. "Lenny let me in here. He told me that you were out at the crime scene. So I waited for you here. Sooner or later you were bound to come back. Look, I know what I said wasn't right..."

"Seriously, are we going to have this talk in here right now?" Beckett can't believe her ears. Does Castle really think this is the place to dissect the hole in their relationship. Seriously?

"Why not, it's not like the whole Precinct doesn't know we are together," he throws at her.

It earns him a deadly glare from Beckett. She walks back to the door and closes it, so that the bullpen wouldn't be a part of the screamfest he obviously has planned for today. She sighs as she turns herself to face him.

"Look, Castle, just don't make this any harder," she steps closer to him, eyeing him intently. "We just can't do this."

"Kate, seriously, are you really running away from us after the first bump on the road? I told you already I was sorry I said you were a girly girl. But it doesn't make the burn on my hand better," he waves his bandaged hand.

Beckett sighs again and brings her hand up to cover her face. She doesn't know what to do. He is right to some extent. After all, he did burn his hand because she forgot to unplug the curling iron. But he could've handled the situation better. He could have kept his mouth shut and not not thrown his frustrations back in her face. Especially after the long and gruesome day at work.

"This didn't give you the excuse to say those things to me," she shoots back. "You know very well that words can hurt."

"I was in pain!" he defends himself. "And it was your curling iron!"

"I said I WAS SORRY," she raises her voice at him. "You could have left it at that. But no, you had to just list all the things you find annoying about me. Like I didn't have a hard day before I came home and was welcomed with your grumpy mood."

"Look, Kate-"

She doesn't let him cut in. "Maybe it's better if we take a break."

The silence permeates the room now. Castle is glued to his spot, neither saying or doing anything. Kate is not even sure if he is breathing.

"Beckett," he pleads. "I don't want to take a break."

"Castle, it's obvious that we can't stand each other at the moment. Maybe a breather will be good?"

"No, Kate," he steps closer to her. "I don't want to break. It took us six years to get us where we are now. I am not giving up on us."

"Castle, -" she starts to protest. But he steps closer to her and hooks his hand around her waist, pulling her even closer. Her body aligns with his, and despite her intentions to stay away from him, she feels her body reacting to his closeness.

"Kate," he whispers to her ear. "Please, listen to me. I'm so sorry that I said those awful things to you. I know you don't do any of it on purpose. It was the wrong time and the wrong place to snap at you. I never intended for you to react that way. I never intended to see you so crestfallen and fleeing from the apartment you call home already."

She can't help herself and she listens to his calming voice, his hands around her while he whispers his words into her hair. Pressing her face into his neck, she breathes in his familiar scent.

"This is so stupid," he continues, "I am so sorry. I can't apologize enough. I miss you. I missed you every damn day you were away. You didn't call, didn't even say where you were. Just nothing. I can't live like that. You are my world, Kate, and I will do whatever it takes to make it okay again."

Beckett doesn't know what to say anymore. She wants to forgive him for the stupid things he did. She wants him to forgive for all the stupid things she did. But she doesn't know how to verbalize her thoughts. She wants... she doesn't even know what she wants. This whole thing is so ridiculous, but it seems oddly necessary for their relationship.

Tightening her grasp of his shirt on his back, she shudders and sighs.

After a moment of silence, he continues, as if he was reading her mind, "I hope you forgive me, Kate. I can't live without you."

"Castle,-" she whispers against his torso. She needs to say at least something to him. The anger is gone now, slowly seeping out of her bones, leaving regret and sorrow instead. She needs to …

When he doesn't continue anymore, she finally opens her mouth.

"I'm sorry too," she mumbles, her barely audible voice tangles in the coffee-scented Precinct air.

He doesn't answer but tightens his grip around her.

"I never want this to happen again," she raises her head to look up to his eyes. "Never, Castle."

"You know I can't promise that," he whispers back to her, his face serious. "But I can promise to try."

She nods. He is right. She can't promise this to him either. She knows that he loves her, but that doesn't mean they don't drive each other up the wall.

They just stand there, in the middle of the break room, arms entwined around each other, looking intently at their partner.

"Where do we go from here?" Beckett asks, her voice full of uncertainty and doubt.

"We go forward," he simply answers. "We get over things."

"Forward, where?" she presses on.

"You could move in with me, you know," he smiles down to her.

Her eyes widen in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. She wasn't expecting this outcome at all.

Usually when she hid away from the world, her boyfriends never reached back for her to drag her out of her shell. But he does it. Every time. She shouldn't be surprised anymore. But yet again, she is. She is always amazed by the depth of his heart. Always.

He smirks. He actually smirks at her reaction. "I don't know why you are so surprised," he mutters, "You practically live there already. Judging by the things you have lying around everywhere."

She chuckles. Way to go ruin the mood. "Castle..."

"Seriously," he continues. "I don't know how you have anything left in your apartment."

"Way to ruin the mood," she tries to remain serious, but fails, the corners of her mouth raising up without her permission.

"So, what do you say?" he asks, bringing his thumb under her chin and raising her face up to meet his eyes.

"I'll think about it," she answers finally.

"Is that a yes?"

She throws him a glare, but it doesn't quite work on him anymore. Especially when he is staring back at her with love and longing in his eyes.

"Ask me again in the evening?" she asks finally, leaning closer to him, unable to stop herself.

They meet in a simple kiss, their lips touching and taking in the feel of each other. She breaks the connection as she hears the doors of the stairwell open at the far end of the bullpen.

"Evening? Does that mean you'll be joining us for the dinner?" he beams, a smile reaching his ears.

"Maybe," she whispers, untangling her arms around him.

"You are cruel," he mutters in amusement.

"Well, you are annoying," she shoots back. "But now, we have work to do. Come," she says and steps back as he finally lets go of her. She walks over to the microwave and removes her lunch.

"Is that Wong's takeout?" his eyes shine in recognition.

"Yes," she nods.

"You ordered Wong without me?" he gasps in mock bewilderment, "You really are a cruel woman!"

She doesn't answer him right away but sends him a sultry look.

"I might share if you are a good boy."

* * *

**I hope you all forgive me my ... gaping hole with my updates. I'm so sorry. I didn't abandon you guys. I have just had extremely busy months. There. Now, I hope you liked this chapter though. Thanks for fooxoo for guiding me to right direction and my Crazy German and Sheyna for proofing! :)**

**Review? Pretty please? They will make me smile. A lot! **


	6. Season 7

**April 2015 (Season 7)**

* * *

"Hey," he smiles when he steps into the break room filled with the afternoon sun.

"Heey," she greets him with a smile and stands up from her chair and disposes of the magazine she was reading, dumping it on the table on top of the huge pile of newspapers and magazines. "You made it! I was starting to worry that the Bowery traffic jams got you again."

"No," he shakes his head. "I had to make a little stop before coming to the precinct."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you'll see it later. How did it go?" he inquires, dying to know how the talk with Gates went. She had been a bit nervous the day before, how to serve the news to her superiors.

"Honestly? It went better than I thought. Gates happily agreed with our plans. That wasn't really the reaction I thought she would have, but she was okay with everything and already gave me papers to fill for my leave of absence."

"Already?" he is surprised.

"Yeah, 'the earlier the better' she said. We need to go through some paperwork at home today," she shows the heap of papers lying on the other end of the table.

"Wow, that much paperwork for this... small … thing?" he asks, eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah, well," Kate smiles to Castle. "Having a baby complicates things, you know?"

He chuckles. "Don't I know it?"

She steps closer to him and hooks her finger through the belt loop of his jeans. "Yes, I know you know. Now I am able to feel the same, too."

She wipes the smile from his face with a gentle press of her lips against his, muffling anything he wanted to say as an answer. He responds immediately, his mouth strong and pliant under her. She sighs into his mouth, not willing to let him go yet.

She hasn't seen him for more than eight hours and she already missed him like crazy. She had been warned, being pregnant was going to mess with her hormones, but she wasn't expecting this kind of emotional rollercoaster that she has had these past months. Not that it is that bad, but she wasn't expecting it to be so severe.

"I missed you," she whispers when he finally pulls away from her lips.

"I missed you, too," he whispers right back, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. He lowers his hand to her belly, caressing it gently.

"I missed you too, _Agent J_," he mumbles to the belly.

"He can't hear you yet," Beckett whispers to him.

"Oh, he can hear me well," he argues. "He kicked me yesterday, when you were sleeping, just when I was telling him a story about Iron Man."

"When I was sleeping?" she is surprised. Even though she fell asleep really fast after she got home the day before, partly from exhaustion and partly from the sleepless night she had before, she should have remembered him talking to her belly. But she had just slept like a log, not noticing him telling stories to their child.

"Yes, you needed sleep, I didn't want to wake you up," he apologizes.

"He kicked you? Wait... You were reading a story about Iron Man?" she chuckles. "No wonder he kicked you. He doesn't like Iron Man."

Castle gasps. "What? How do you possibly know that! Maybe he just loved it so much and high-fived me?"

"He kicked when I was sleeping?" she says again, her soft voice full of amazement. "And I missed it, again?"

"I'm sorry," he looks sad. "But it was awesome. He is such a strong little baby."

"Yeah, that he is," she takes his hand and pulls him towards the couch. "Come on, let's sit."

They both walk to the old, creaky couch and sit there in silence. He finally opens his mouth. "So, Gates doesn't mind me taking you away before you go to maternity leave?"

"Yeah. Why she should mind? I have enough vacation time to take time off, so she has really nothing to say about that," she explains calmly.

"Alright, that really went better that I thought," he muses, nudging her side. "How did the boys take the news?"

"That we are leaving the precinct to go and spend time in sunny Florida?" she chuckles. "What do you think? They were jealous as hell."

"I bet that Espo was jealous because he couldn't carry my baby and come with me to Florida," Castle chuckles and making Beckett laugh out loud.

"Yeah," she drags out, still laughing. "I am sure_ that_ was the case."

They fall into silence again for a while, Castle's hand is resting on her swollen stomach, his fingers softly caressing the belly.

"Only twenty weeks to wait, I can't believe he will be here so soon," he whispers to her ear, making a shudder run down her spine.

She nods against him.

"Our little Bartholomew will be here soon, I really can't wait to see him."

She pushes herself away from his body, glaring him furiously. "You are not naming our child after a cartoon character!"

"Why not?" he asks, voice rising an octave. "It is such a beautiful name."

"Castle..._ No_."

"Kate, really, imagine - '_Bartholomew Castle_', it sounds so regal!"

"Castle, I am not letting you do this to my child," she scolds. "Seriously."

"Oh, now he's your child, but when he keeps you up with his yoga marathon during the night, he is my child?" he asks, smiling widely, his eyes crinkling.

She grumbles. "Not fair. But still no Bartholomew."

"Okay," he agrees. "No borrowing from_ The Simpsons._ But how about Tony?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You wanna name our Agent J 'Tony'? As in _Tony Stark_?"

"Yes," he nods furiously.

"We are not naming our kid after _Marvel Super Heroes_," she states, certainty in her voice. No argument needed.

"But..." he starts, but she silences him with her finger on his lips.

"When I say no, then it's a_ no_, okay?" she tells Castle, looking into his eyes and finally releases her finger from his mouth.

"You are taking all the fun out of this, you know," he mumbles, chuckling lightly.

"Well, I already let you have the nickname rights, didn't I?" she throws his words back at him.

"Oh, well, you are right," he nods and turns his attention to Beckett's belly. "Mommy is right, isn't she, Agent Junior?"

He feels the baby kick under his palm.

"Ooohh!" he glees. "He kicked! He likes his name!"

"No he doesn't, he was protesting," she smiles and argues with him a little bit longer.

"Oh bull," he averts his gaze from her belly to her face, taking in the beauty of his wife. "Everybody loves '_Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'_, even he does."

"How do you know?" she asks.

"Because he's my son," he answers with a gentle voice.

"He's my son too," she can't contain her happiness and smiles to her husband.

"See, then how could he not like the nickname, because you love the show, too," he teases.

"No, I don't," she laughs and tries to argue.

"Yes, you do. I have seen you watching it like a fangirl."

"Oh, shut up," she smacks his arm gently.

As ordered, he falls silent, looking at her intently. She doesn't wait long and closes the distance between them, capturing his mouth in a gentle kiss.

"I love you," she whispers, pulling back a bit, breathing in.

"I love you too," he mumbles against her lips.

Suddenly, they hear a cough somewhere close by, startling them apart.

"Well, isn't this cute," Esposito's mocking voice disrupts the silence around them. Both Castle and Beckett turn towards the voice. They find the detective standing in the doorway, clutching his cup.

"Well, well, well. Mommy and daddy kissing on the break room couch," the Latino smirks and struts towards the coffee machine

"Way to ruin the moment, Esposito," Castle lets out a fake groan.

"You will be thanking me later," he answers without bothering to look at them. "It's a really uncomfortable couch to have sex on."

"Espo!" Beckett gasps.

"Wait," Castle is confused for a moment. "How do _you_ know that?"

Esposito freezes on his spot, gripping the mug in his hand tighter. Then, he smiles.

"I've heard," he opts for light sarcasm.

"Oh, you _heard_?" Castle teases, chuckling.

"Shut up, Castle," Esposito growls and gets his coffee and makes his way out of the room, making both Castle and Beckett laugh.

Finally, as their laughter softens, Castle places his palm onto her belly again and looks into Beckett's eyes, his voice full of amazement, "We are going on vacation... the three of us!"

* * *

**A/N: Okay. I am sorry that I haven't updated this in a long long while. I did bring some fluff, so don't shoot me. Hopefully you like it. And leave a review too. Thank you for reading and liking the fic. For now, I can say that there is only 2 chapters left for writing for this. So, be tuned in, I hope I can finish them soon :) **

**Thoughts?**


	7. Season 8

_**May 2016 (season 8) **__- wishful thinking._

* * *

"_Castle, would you be quiet!" _Beckett's hiss echoes through the break room and her eyes are sending daggers when Castle stumbles on his way back to the table.

"Sorry, sorry." The apology is fast. He sits next to her fast in order not to make a noise anymore and he is shaking his head.

"I swear to god, these new stools are like traps," he mutters. He shifts on his seat, making himself comfortable.

Kate just rolls her eyes.

"You are lucky that the boy has your skill for sleeping."

Castle smiles at that and looks over the table to the couch that is currently occupied by a sleeping baby. The tiny body is stretched out on the big, but uncomfortable looking couch, his tiny mouth open he is sleeping soundly. Every once in a while, his tiny fists shake, making him grimace in his sleep.

"Finally pooped out, eh?" he asks with a sparkle of joy in his eyes.

She sighs and smiles. "Finally. I thought that he was gonna stay up all day. But I guess Esposito and Ryan tired him out."

Castle chuckles at that.

"Now we know what to do when he is throwing tantrums again."

"Give him to Javi and Kevin?"

"Yeah, his uncles seem to be eager to play with him and tire him out," Castle offers. He leans his back against the stool and observes his wife across the table. "We should make a playdate. Introduce little Samuel to wee Seamus. He is already so big, I think they would get along eventually."

Beckett beams a smile at Castle. "I think that is a great idea. I will ask Kevin later to see if Jenny would agree to that."

The silence surrounds them once again as the eyes of both of the parents rest on their sleeping child. Finally Castle breaks the silence.

"You know, he reminds me of you."

Beckett throws a glance at Castle again. "It would be weird if he didn't."

Castle lets loose laughter. Of course. It's Beckett he is talking to, she hasn't lost her touch when it comes to teasing him.

"No, I mean… he is … now...I mean, the way he is sleeping there now. He just reminds me of you when I first discovered you sleeping in here."

"Oh?" Suddenly she is curious.

She leans a bit closer, still unable to let go of the teasing. "Do you mean that one time you ruined my precious, precious sleep with your stupid Espresso machine?"

"It's not stupid!" Castle finds him defending himself. "It still works."

"It was stupid at the time!" Beckett grins. "It was as annoying as you."

"Oh?" he grins back. "So, you found me annoying but you still agreed to marry me."

She doesn't falter a second and gets back at him in a matter of seconds, looking into his eyes, lovingly. "Well, we can't always get what we want."

"But I did," he mumbles, reaching out to take her hand, tugging it softly to his palm and surrounding it with his strong fingers. "I did get what I wanted." Of course, the theatrical pause is necessary. "You."

She doesn't answer him, only blushes slightly – the pink in her cheeks is slowly creeping to her neck.

"But changing the subject again. That wasn't the first time I found you here, sleeping."

She is puzzled now. She distinctly remembers him finding her sleeping just after the book-launch party of the first Nikki Heat novel. It had to be in the second year they worked together? It had to. She finds her voice after a minute of pondering.

"When?"

He tightens his hold around her hand for a second. "It was very shortly after we started working together. I think it was a week or two after the frozen body case. Remember?"

"Yeah," she breathes out, her minds still reeling. "We had a long and dragged out case after that. Took weeks to close. I especially remember all of the whining from you." She rolls her eyes.

"That's the one I am talking about," he nods, chuckling at her eyeroll. "I think you slept most of your days in the precinct back then," he adds softly.

She blushes again and tries to mock him. But the wave of gentleness in her voice takes off the edge. "Yeah, well, somebody had to figure out who the killer was while the lazy ones were sleeping."

"On the count of tiredness?" he asks, his face serious once again.

Not waiting for her to answer, he continues.

"I came back to the precinct because I had forgotten my notebook at your table. And, of course, I wanted to know if you had any breakthroughs on the case or not."

He doesn't say it out loud, but Kate can hear it in his voice. _'I just wanted to see you.'_

"I came in the bullpen, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought it might be better to go back home, but I wanted to have some water before I headed out. So, I ventured here, to the break room. And there you were, sleeping right there," he points to the couch where their son is now sleeping, "sleeping on your back, just like him. One of your hands was on your stomach, the other was on the side of your head, curled around the paper you were reading before you fell asleep."

She is silently observing him as he speaks with a soft tone in his voice. The same one he uses for her and Samuel when he is telling a them a story, to his family.

"For the first time in my life, I saw you sleeping," he confesses. "You looked so peaceful. Nothing was bothering you. The concerned look you always had wasn't there anymore. You were at peace, with the smooth lines of your face you looked like a sleeping angel. Only with the tiny bit of drool trail you left on the pillow."

"I don't drool, Castle," she states teasingly. A slight grin crossing her lips.

"You do," he looks into her eyes, smiling. "And its adorable."

She clears her throat, straightening her features again.

"But, you didn't wake me," she states softly.

"No."

"No?"

"I couldn't bring myself to do it. You needed sleep. I knew that. So, I took the blanket from the edge of the couch and laid it over you. In return, you only mumbled something and turned yourself onto your side and continued sleeping. I couldn't leave. You were so mesmerizing, so beautiful… I .. just stayed here and watched you sleeping."

"Staring at me while I slept," she shakes her head, smiling. "Creepy."

"Esposito thought the same," he chuckles.

Kate's mouth hangs open. "What? Esposito? When?"

Unable to suppress his grin, he answers. "He found me staring at you in here. He kicked me out."

Beckett chuckles at that, "Nice, Espo. I can always count on him." She shakes her head in thought for a second. "So, basically you came in here to watch me sleeping? You must have been really bored."

"Heh," he shakes his head. "I was before I came here. But after Espo kicked out, I went straight to home that day and just wrote and wrote and wrote. You inspired me that night. I just saw Nikki Heat in a different light then and... I just had to write it down."

"Please tell me it wasn't the sex scene?" she pleads, laughing.

"No," he smiles. She sighs, relieved. But he continues, "I wrote the sex scene the day after that."

"Castle," she hisses.

"What?" he laughs. "I found you hot, alright. I thought you knew that."

"I knew that," she mumbles, her voice low. "I knew that."

"So. That's the story of the first time I saw you in here. And now there is Samuel, carrying on the old Beckett tradition and sleeping on the break room couch when he is tired of the long day at work."

"He's adorable," she mumbles again.

"Yeah, he is. Especially when he is sleeping."

Beckett nods, her eyes lingering on her son. "He truly is. Thank you, Castle. For sharing that story." She really means that. She tightens her fingers around his thumb to make him understand she is sincere.

He is observing her, his eyes wide and happy. He leans in closer to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. She does the same, closing her eyes and trusting him fully. Just when their lips are about to meet, a needy whine emerges from the couch.

The moment is broken. She presses her eyes shut for a moment and opens them to see Castle grinning back to her. She can't do anything but smile back.

"I'll get him," he says softly. He stands up, but doesn't walk away. Instead, his hand comes up to caress her face and his thumb lifts her face upwards. His lips meet hers in a soft kiss, making her sigh softly. As suddenly as his lips were there, they are gone. She opens her eyes to see Castle on the side of the couch, greeting their now awake son.

"Hey there, fella. Did you have a good sleep?" he coos. Samuel only lets out another whine and cringes his tiny face.

"Thought so," he smirks. "Let's take momma home, what do you think?"

This time Samuel is silent then, observing his father, his lips forming a perfect O.

"Good idea, right?" his daddy agrees.

Castle turns to Beckett, "Let's get his things and get out of here?"

Beckett nods, quickly rising from her chair and starts to shove some of the Samuel's things that were left on the table by Esposito and Ryan back to the bag. At the same time, Castle picks up his son into his arms and walks to the baby carrier that is already waiting for them on the counter.

Placing him there and strapping him tightly, he casually asks, "Everything went well with Gates?"

Beckett shoves the last things into the bag and nods. "Yes. We had a nice talk with her. I will get my old position back as soon as my maternity leave ends."

"Oh, great!" he cheers, lifting the carrier. Castle, with Samuel in his carrier in one hand, reaches for Beckett's hand with his other. "Let's go. You can tell me all about it in the car."

She smiles, walking next to him towards the elevator.

"Yes, Let's go."

* * *

_Fin_

* * *

**Thank you, my dear readers. For reading this story, for sticking with me until I finished this one. I know, I am a real pain in the mik'tah when it comes to updating fast. I am so sorry you had to wait. But now, here it is. The last chapter of my fluffy fic. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**I wouldn't have done it with my group of cheerleaders/beta-readers – Sheyna and my crazy germans. Thank you!**

**Please leave a review too, I always love to hear from you!**


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